60I do believe in shared knowledge, shared vision and goals, and a shared joy of walking a student through some hurdles that may be at times very easy, and at times very hard. I love to discover the inner joy of seeing my students graduate through high school, and beyond. My educational philosophy rests on this basic principle—to become relevant to the community where I live, and become part of the molding of today’s youth. I may be a mathematics teacher but that does not confine me to the sphere of the academics because I can always raise issues beyond the teaching of math and discuss how one can become a good citizen of the country, speak about patriotism, exalt decency of a good job, the importance and nobility of a vocation, and love of his fellowmen. I believe in the dichotomous relationship between teaching and learning, that each is irrelevant without the other. I think of myself as an ideal teacher, one who understands the students, and who will learn to love the unlikeable and even the unlovable. I believe in the students’ capacity to learn, to find in due time the best learning styles that fit them, and with the teacher’s assistance, discover new ways to improve on their own. I believe in the teacher’s noble vocation that he represents the kind of citizen students will always look up to, rely upon, and trust. The teacher is the picture of one that will continually inspire the students, not be their nightmare.
In a foreword message of Dave Ramsey to Dan Miller’s book, “48 Days to the Work You Love ”, he said, “Few categories of our lives define us and grow us spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and as a people. Our work is one of those powerful defining areas.”